DRDO developing robots to function as soldiers

utubekhiladi

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Chennai: Going futuristic with unmanned fighting systems, the Defence Research and Development Organisation on Sunday said it is developing robots to function as soldiers.

"We are in the process of developing robots that can work like soldiers. They are working on the data and artificial intelligence that is needed in the process," Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Director General of DRDO and Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, told a press conference here.

Earlier, Saraswat inaugurated Bharat Earth Movers Limited- Combined Vehicles Research and Development Establishment Technology Centre, Suspension Test Facility and Combat Vetronics technology Centre for CVRDE, the DRDO lab which is making India's Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun.

Stating that India needs to produce aircraft landing gear indigenously, he said organisations like BEML should take the initiative, while CVRDE should get into transmission systems.

"DRDO should join hands with defence PSUs to open offset labs," he said.

"There is no major design centre to develop landing gear.

This institution along with BEML should take the initiative to start making landing gears. That will be useful for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and aircraft. And one day we shall have our own commercial aircraft also."

Observing that DRDO was good in designing and prototyping, but has a 'syndrome' of lacking in converting the technology into production, he said collaborations with PSUs are the solution.

Chief Controller (R&D) of Armament and Combat Engineering S Sundaresh said future MBTs should be light weight and set an example to the world.

CVRDE director P Sivakumar said trials of MBT Arjun Mark-II would commence from October 2012.

DRDO developing robots to function as soldiers
 

pmaitra

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"The most intelligent robot that exists today has the brains equivalent to that of a cockroach!"
- so said one researcher in Robotics.
 

Sabir

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No offence to DRDO but why not complete 1,000's of pending projects 1st for a change ?? :tsk:

Every week, There is new project but I hardly see any project completed.
They know they take a lot of time to complete a project so they are starting a next century project right now. :D
 

pmaitra

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No offence to DRDO but why not complete 1,000's of pending projects 1st for a change ?? :tsk:

Every week, There is new project but I hardly see any project completed.
x2. ... ... ...
 

p2prada

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DRDO has been expanding really fast. They can handle new projects. Completion of said projects is a whole another thing, but what has been implied is that DRDO will announce projects only when there is a certain level of headway already made in the technology required. They will no longer be announcing the status of projects before completing the base level of what's required.

We have over 200 JVs with Russia alone, the ones we have with Israel is unknown as of today but it is as high as Russia. Europe is slowly starting and we already know EADS is our consulting partner for LCA and Snecma for Kaveri. Russia tops the charts though.
 

mattster

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With all the management talent that India has produced including many heading up top companies in the US and Europe - it is amazing as to why DRDO is so poorly managed. It seems like a rudderless organization without any clear focus. From mosquito repellents to robotic soldiers.

It just blows the mind why such an important organization cannot be run by top notch managerial professionals as opposed to having insiders always holding the top position. India is so far behind in Robotics and even the developed countries have yet to validate the concept of robotics in the military other than using them to defuse IEDs.

This is where I appreciate the Chinese - at least they have the smarts to wait until the US, Europeans, or Russins develop and prove the basic technology, before they start copying or trying to develop it themselves. In other words they dont waste time, money and resources trying to build unproven pie-in-sky technology, until they see that the Americans or the Russians using it successfully in the battlefield. Then they go all out to get the technology by hook or crook. That is what I call pragmatic, level-headed decision making.
 
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pmaitra

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With all the management talent that India has produced including many heading up top companies in the US and Europe - it is amazing as to why DRDO is so poorly managed. It seems like a rudderless organization without any clear focus. From mosquito repellents to robotic soldiers.

It just blows the mind why such an important organization cannot be run by top notch managerial professionals as opposed to having insiders always holding the top position. India is so far behind in Robotics and even the developed countries have yet to validate the concept of robotics in the military other than using them to defuse IEDs.

This is where I appreciate the Chinese - at least they have the smarts to wait until the US, Europeans, or Russins develop and prove the basic technology, before they start copying or trying to develop it themselves. In other words they dont waste time, money and resources trying to build unproven pie-in-sky technology, until they see that the Americans or the Russians using it successfully in the battlefield. Then they go all out to get the technology by hook or crook. That is what I call pragmatic, level-headed decision making.
The problem is not management. The problem is scientific innovation. You can get the best managers (on paper), but if the scientists cannot produce the equipment, what will the management do? In hindsight, the best managers one could get are those who have worked on the projects and has hands-on experience. Getting management graduates from the top B-schools will achieve nothing. This is not like selling washing machines. Many management people actually create a need for the customers, when actually there is no need whatsoever, and then sell the products and make profit. Defense industry hardly works that way. In one word, failure of DRDO cannot be attributed to the management and at the same time, their successes cannot be credited to the management either. All the praise or blame to the scientists and engineers.
 

sayareakd

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With all the management talent that India has produced including many heading up top companies in the US and Europe - it is amazing as to why DRDO is so poorly managed. It seems like a rudderless organization without any clear focus. From mosquito repellents to robotic soldiers.

It just blows the mind why such an important organization cannot be run by top notch managerial professionals as opposed to having insiders always holding the top position. India is so far behind in Robotics and even the developed countries have yet to validate the concept of robotics in the military other than using them to defuse IEDs.

This is where I appreciate the Chinese - at least they have the smarts to wait until the US, Europeans, or Russins develop and prove the basic technology, before they start copying or trying to develop it themselves. In other words they dont waste time, money and resources trying to build unproven pie-in-sky technology, until they see that the Americans or the Russians using it successfully in the battlefield. Then they go all out to get the technology by hook or crook. That is what I call pragmatic, level-headed decision making.
IMHO, first step in any invention is to dream and make something new and useful, that is most difficult step, some have some dont, some just blindly copy what others do.

Thomas Edison is the classic example. More than 1,000 attempts to invent the first long-lasting electric light bulb led to bulbs that only stayed lit for a few minutes. One of Edison's colleagues asked him, "Mr. Edison, don't you feel you are a failure?" Lacking any sense of vanity, he answered, "Not at all. Now, I definitely know more than a thousand ways how NOT to make a light bulb.

If Thomas Edison was Chines you can imagine what would have happen.
 

sayareakd

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The combat vehicles research and development establishment in Avadi, Chennai, will lead India's charge in future wars.

The DRDO (Defence Research and Develop-ment Organisation) lab will develop robots that will replace about 10 lakh soldiers risking lives on the line of control to safeguard the country.

V.K. Saraswat, scientific advisor to the defence minister and director general DRDO, told DC on Sunday pilot work had begun with the army already experimenting with robot mules to carry arms and equipment to firing areas.

"Small robots are already involved in surveillance, while robot mules will be pressed into service to carry heavy arms to high-altitude war zones," said Saraswat, adding that autonomous underwater vehicles capable of carrying out multiple tasks were also being developed.

He said state-of-the-art technology was required along with artificial intelligence to develop tracked-vehicle robots capable of donning a soldier's role.

Saraswat said the robots would be controlled from a station but there would be no on-field human interference.

"We are in the process of creating a huge database so that the autonomy level of the robots reaches 8 to 9 on a scale of 10, enabling them to fight a war with the required intelligence."

DRDO robots to fight future wars | Deccan Chronicle
 

agentperry

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if something like daksh is in their mind then please stop it.

moreover robots should be airborne and waterborne search and destroy type only. no one can replace ground troops under any circumstances. they have limited utility, high cost and lesser flexibility with no brain. instead for ground troops heavy duty gears should be developed using both biotechnology and nanotechnology. this will bring out the best from soldier without threatening his life and without compromising with the mission sensitivity.
 

nitesh

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^^
F-INSAS addresses that issue
 

utubekhiladi

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DRDO eyes robotic soldier, mule

DRDO eyes robotic soldier, mule - The Economic Times

CHENNAI: India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the process of building robotic soldiers and mules as a part of its unmanned fighting systems of the future, said an official Sunday.

"We are working on building soldier robots that can work like a human soldier. Such a robot needs data base, artificial intelligence to carrying out its activities and the DRDO is planning to build such a robot," V.K. Saraswat, scientific advisor to defence minister and director general, DRDO, told reporters here.

After inaugurating new facilities inside the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) campus, he said the DRDO was also planning to design a robotic mule that could replace a real one used by soldiers in mountainous terrain.

The DRDO has already developed Daksh, a remote-controlled robotic vehicle, for detecting and destroying dangerous objects like bombs and has been approved by the Indian Army for induction.

The army will start trials of DRDO's main battle tank Arjun Mark II from next October, said P. Sivakumar, director, CVRDE.

He said the army had ordered 124 units of the upgraded Arjun tanks.

According to him, the CVRDE would be completing the supply of Mark I version of Arjun tanks by March 2012. "We have supplied 110 units out of the total 124 units that were ordered," he said.

The Indian tanks were far cheaper, costing around Rs.21 crore each, as compared to Rs.56 crore each of American battle tanks of a similar nature.

"If there are more orders then the cost would come down further," added Saraswat.

According to Sivakumar, the CVRDE was planning to source the battle tank engines and transmission systems from BEML Ltd. Presently, the engines and transmissions were imported.

Queried about the commercialisation of the technologies developed by the DRDO, Saraswat said the annual revenue was currently around Rs.30 crore and it was growing.

He earlier inaugurated the new technology centre, jointly set up by the CVRDE and BEML, a suspension testing facility for Arjun tank and combat veronics technology centre.

The centre will address the design and development of defence products and aggregates including research and development products.

According V.R.S. Natarajan, chairman and managing director of BEML, the two organisations are now working together with a foreign firm for building and supplying 155 mm, 52 calibre tracked gun.

BEML supported the CVRDE in development of Arjun tank sub-systems, documentation and other activities.

The new centre is being set up for better and faster coordination between BEML and CVRDE. BEML will depute 18 engineers to work at the new centre.
 

ace009

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this is what DRDO is planning to build -



Looking at their exemplary technology, expertise, experience and budget - I think this would happen sooner than you think ... (maynot 2029 as in the movie, but 2092) ...
 

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